At the other side
by Xannijn
Summary: After the day Katara's father married an other woman, three stepbrothers joined the family. It changed everything. But the love Zuko felt for her changed even more... A story about intense desires, unseen affection and a misunderstood love.Zutara
1. Chapter 1

_Pain doesn't hurt, far memories in his head_

_But Katara can not defend, while Zuko can not forget…_

**Before I start with the story, I want to warn you for a few things:**

**-First of all, this story is rated T. Why? Well, it's an extremely violent story. I know some people can't stand violence, so if you're one of those people, please do yourselves a favor and read something else.**

**-It's also rated T because, well actually M would fit better, there will be a LOT of healthy Zutarapassion. (Of course, love includes passion.) It is possible that serious adult content, sexual contact, can be involved in the story. This was a warning.**

**-Zuko is totally, TOTALLY OOC. Why? Because he's nicer and perhaps a bit happier than he normally is. And since there are two years passed from the last episode of season two, it's only natural that he's changed.**

**Okay, that were the warnings. I don't like warning people, but it's always better to warn you anyway. Not everyone likes violence and adult content as much as an other.**

**If you want a good summary for this story, I wrote a drabble of this story. It can work as a summary. Visit my account, pick "Zutara Drabbles" in my story list, and read the drabble "At The Other Side". (Same name as the story)**

**And if you're too lazy to do that, then just read the story itself. Enjoy!**

**(P.S.: It's ZUTARA! One hundred percent ZUTARA! Tragedy, drama, romance, all the things a decent Zutarastory needs.)**

Chapter 1

So far, and yet so close

Katara sat on her room, squattered in a corner. A bowl filled with water stood in front of her.

She checked the room one last time, just to know it for sure. Luckily, she still was all alone.

Once she knew that she was the only one in that room, she held her hand above the bowl. She slowly moved her hand up and down, focusing on the smooth moves she had to make. That way, she could form a ball out of the water and twirl it around in the room. A smile appeared on her face when she saw the water dancing through the room: she still had it, she still had her skill to waterbend. Even after two long years with no chance to train her waterbending properly, she still knew how to handle it, a bit.

Suddenly, the door opened. Katara gasped and dropped the water, so it splashed somewhere on the floor. Her father came in and he stared at the puddle of water. His head turned to Katara and a frown appeared on his face.

'Katara, were you waterbending again?'

Katara bit on her lip. 'Maybe…' she answered, a bit vague. Her father sighed and crossed his arms.

'How many times to I have to tell you? The soldiers don't want us to bend our element! It's forbidden, why won't you understand that?'

Katara stood up and poked against his chest.

'Because it's ridiculous! We live without waterbending for two years by now, I have enough of it! Why do we fear those soldiers that much? If we use our element, they can't harm us!'

Hakoda sighed. He laid a hand on her cheek and pulled a slight smile over his mouth.

'I admire your courage, Katara. I really do. But you know what happens if they see you waterbending! Don't tell me that I have to explain it again!'

When he noticed that his daughter said nothing, another sigh escaped from his mouth.

'For the thousandth time: if they catch you, they'll send more soldiers and they'll kill our entire family and burn the house to ashes. Is that what you want?'

Katara gave no answer. Of course she didn't want anything to happen to her father and Sokka, but she could doubt about her step-mother and step-brothers. Those people treated her like she was shit, while her father didn't even defend her. He loved her step-mother too much to believe his own daughter.

Hakoda released an other sigh. He took the bowl of water and gave it to Katara, while he pointed at the window.

'Bring this water back to where it belongs: the river. There's no better way of respecting water than by giving it back to nature.'

Katara nodded and took the bowl. She stared at the water and released a sigh, she missed her element so much.

Since the firenation had all the power, everything changed. People were no longer allowed to bend, only the firelord and soldiers had the right to live with their element, fire. And if you didn't obey the soldiers, they killed you and your entire family. Of course, everyone wanted to escape from the horror. But that was impossible. Ozai ruled the world, there was no longer a safe place to hide. So people just stayed at home, in their village, crawling in the dust for the soldiers.

Aang and Toph were gone, they were safe. They had left for one of the airtemples, where Aang would be learned how to bend the elements. So when Aang was gone, Katara and Sokka searched for their father. They found them, but unfortunately, he had some new members of the family with him. Katara would never forgive him. She didn't care about him falling in love, that was alright with her, but she didn't knew that he'd fall in love with a SLUT as her step-mother, Hitomi.

A sigh escaped from her throat. It was too late to get her out of here now, she had found her place in the family. And her beauty made it even harder for Katara to talk with her father about her. Every time when Katara tried to tell her father what the step-brothers did to her, Hitomi came and seduced Hakoda. Sometimes she even had to guide him to the bedroom to convince him about the innocence of her sons.

She left her room and walked through the kitchen, heading for the front door. But when she wanted to open that door, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, almost making her drop the bowl.

She looked up and stared straight in the eyes of her oldest step-brother, Daichi. His pale, green eyes seemed to bore right through her, as if he could read her mind. She jerked his hand away and frowned.

'Don't touch me, Daichi!' she snarled. Daichi rolled his eyes and turned his head to his younger brother, Jiro, standing behind him.

'Did you hear that, Jiro? The waterslut is snarling at us!' he said. Jiro laughed loudly, but the boy standing next to him was rather quiet. That boy, Takeshi, hung his head down, as if he didn't want to have anything to do with this. Jiro frowned and pulled at his younger brother's sleeve.

'Hey, Takeshi, what's wrong? Why aren't you laughing? I mean, isn't it killing funny that miss watertribe has just snarled at US?'

Takeshi shrugged. He thought about what happened a few days ago, when their parents weren't at home. Daichi was eighteen now, so he was the boss in the house that night. He drank everything he could find, as long as it was alcohol. Once he was too drunk to know what he was doing, he had smacked Katara on the kitchen table. "_Wanna screw me?" _he asked her. Of course Katara yelled no, Takeshi understood that. It was only normal that she reacted that way when her own step-brother wanted to make love to her.

But her answer to his question didn't quite satisfy Daichi. In anger he had hit her in the face, so she was smacked on the floor. Jiro helped his brother when he wanted to kick Katara to death, but Takeshi would not let his drunk brothers do that. He had fought with his own brothers, which were much stronger and older than he was, and they had even tried to kill him. Luckily, they fell asleep once they both had a knife in their hands.

He looked up at Katara and a sad look appeared on his face, he felt so sorry for her. Sorry that she had to live with his brothers, that she had to go through all that pain. That was why he did his very best to stop his brothers when they wanted to hurt her again, but he knew he wasn't able to protect her all the times.

He always blamed himself when he remembered that one night, one single night that he wasn't there. The night that Daichi raped her for the first time. That was one year ago, luckily Katara hadn't noticed a lot of it when it happened. He knocked her unconscious before he raped her, to make sure Takeshi wouldn't hear her screaming. That one single night he went on a date, his brother did something that horrible to her. Sometimes he even doubted about his age, Daichi was eighteen, Jiro seventeen and he was only sixteen, the same age as Katara. But he felt much older than they were.

He heard it happened pretty often. Daichi always told about it as if it was a victory, as if her pain was his drug. He told them that having sex with Katara was a joy like none other. He always gave the disgusting, but to him titillating details of how it felt to be in her, to rape his OWN step-sister. Of course, Katara didn't enjoy it as much as Daichi did. Takeshi could feel it when Daichi had raped her, he could see it at the look on her face. Paths of dried tears over her cheeks, a sad look on her face and her hands formed into fists, as if she could squeeze the pain away. That was Katara's problem: she couldn't defend herself.

So since a year ago, Takeshi could never see Daichi as a brother again. It happened so many times, he had lost the count by now. A brother of him would never do something that cruel, that low. Never.

Jiro smacked him on the shoulder and whistled in his ear, trying to get his attention.

'Hey! Are you sleeping or are you just dumb? Keep your eyes on the spectacle, man!'

Takeshi looked up at Daichi, who was teasing Katara by trying to spit in the bowl, over and over again. Katara always avoided his spit and growled in anger.

'Stop!' she yelled. Daichi laughed loudly and lifted an eyebrow.

'Or else what? Are you going to throw that big scary bowl at our heads if I won't stop?'

Katara glared at him, while he laughed even more. He kicked the bowl up, making the water splash all over her. She gasped and stopped the bowl from scattering to pieces on the floor just in time.

Daichi hit the bowl out of her hands. Takeshi cought the bowl up and glared at his brother, who was pulling Katara up by her hair. He laughed when he heard her screaming in pain. Once he had enough of teasing her, he threw her back on the floor.

'Come on, guys, I've had enough of this. Let's go and kick some asses of the neighbors!'

Jiro cheered and Takeshi pretended to. Daichi pulled Katara up by her collar and glared at her.

'And if they kick our asses back, I'll know where to find you…' he threated, as if it would be her fault.

The brothers left and Katara laid there, staring at the puddly of water on the kitchen floor. She bended the water back in the bowl and fought against her tears, she refused to cry no matter how much she wanted to. It would only make things nicer for Daichi and the others.

She walked outside, to the river in front of their house.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At the other side of the river, Zuko and Iroh were staring at the house in front of them. The house seemed pretty old, the windows were broken and the door half rotten. But that didn't quite matter, what did mattered was the roof. And the roof still seemed solid enough for a few more years.

Zuko turned his head to his uncle. 'Okay, explain everything to me one last time.' he said.

Iroh sighed. 'We'll be living here for a while, maybe even forever, depending on how long this house will survive. The only rules are: DON'T firebend, DON'T tell anyone that we're firenation and DON'T take too much attention. As long as Ozai has all the power around here, it's best for us to stay calm. And this quiet, relaxing village seemed like the perfect place to stay calm!'

A bright smile colored his face and he pointed at the river. 'We even have a river! Isn't that relaxing?'

Zuko rolled his eyes and sighed. His uncle didn't have to lie to him, he knew what was about to happen: they would be stuck in that village forever.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sun was setting. Katara was running through the house, breathing heavily in fear. Daichi was looking for her, and he did NOT seem to be in a good mood. If she wouldn't find a hiding place soon, he would find her. She didn't knew what he'd be doing to her today, he could hit her in anger, he could strangle her because he liked the sound of her choking or he could rape her. She didn't want anything of that to happen, so she ran as fast as she could.

She ran outside and looked around. There just HAD to be a hiding place…

When she heard the sound of Daichi's footsteps, there was no more time to doubt. She jumped in the river and hided herself under water, waiting for him to walk by.

'Katara?' he asked. 'Katara! Come here, you bitch! Come here so I can beat the crap out of you!'

Katara bit on her lip and pressed her body against the soil, hoping for him to walk by.

She heard him shouting her name again and he ran off, to an other side of the village. Katara jumped back up to the surface and inhaled as much air as she could. Her heart beat hardly against her chest, that was close.

She laid down at the side of the river and sighed in relief. She felt her soaked dress sucking on her body, even the smallest expression of her body was visible now. But that didn't matter, Daichi was gone, that was what mattered.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Zuko sat at the river, staring in the water. He saw the reflection of his face, making him growl in anger. He sliced his hand through the water, so his reflection would be gone. He didn't want to see his face, he didn't want to see that scar. He didn't even want to remember what happened the day his father gave him the scar.

He wished he could just forget it all, forget everything that had happened that day. His mother would NEVER have let anything like that happen to her fist child, but Ozai was different. He was cruel, power was the only thing he cared about. Not even his own son was more important than power.

He frowned and pressed his teeth together.

'I hate this place…'

Suddenly, he noticed something at the other side. A girl was laying half in the water, probably sleeping. He stared at her and he swallowed something down his throat, she was absolutely gorgeous.

He stood up, making sure he could see her better. Even though it was hard to see something at the other side, he couldn't help to stare at her nipples, nearly piercing through her dress. A strange shiver he had never felt before crawled over his back, when he saw the shape of her beautiful body in the tight dress.

'Damn, she's gorgeous!' he said to himself, maybe a bit loud. Katara looked up, like she had heard him. He gasped when he saw her bright, blue eyes staring in his direction. Her gaze was locked with his, while a slight smile colored his face. Next to a beautiful body, she had a pretty face as well.

Katara gasped.

'Zuko?' she asked herself. She recognized that scar everywhere, it just HAD to be him. A blush colored her face when she saw him staring at her. She knew Zuko wasn't that bad, he had the same problems as she and her family had now. He had to live under Ozai's rules as well. Since a few years ago, he was no longer the enemy, but a man with the same destiny as everyone else on the world. Even Sokka agreed with her about that. Two years ago, things would have been different, but now Ozai had all the power… That changed everything. It changed her entire life.

She bit on her lip and waved at him, making him wave back immediately.

They both smiled and sat down, staring at the other side. Zuko was fascinated by her, by every tiny detail on her body. Her bright, blue eyes, her soft, tender hands, her perfect figure and, maybe even most of all, her firm and yet perfectly shaped breasts, like they were exactly big enough for his hands to cup them…

Wait, where did that come from? He had NEVER thought about a girl that way, he had never felt the tingle he felt in his abdomen now. That relaxing, satisfying tingle. As if he could feel better by just watching her.

A smile appeared on his face when he had a better look at her. The tingle grew stronger the longer he stared at her, so he decided to keep on doing that. He wanted nothing else but to feel the tingle.

Katara smiled. He just kept staring at her, it felt strange. Normally, it annoyed her when people stared at her too long, especially when Daichi couldn't keep his eyes off her breasts, because she knew what would follow on that. But with Zuko things were different, she nearly wanted him to stare at her body. She wanted him to know what she was like, how much she had changed in two years. She had grown a lot, into a real woman. He just had to see that.

At the same time, she saw how much he had changed in two years. He was a man now, a bit taller than he used to be and handsome. Extremely handsome.

While night fell, they were just sitting there, staring at each other. Fantasizing about anything that came up to their minds, how it would be like to talk to each other, be with each other, touch each other… And they knew they were only twenty meters away from each other.

So far, and yet so close…

**That sure was an example of love at first sight! And? What do you think? Should I continue this? Please tell me what you think of this story in a review, I love it when people review!-**

**Oh, and a small reminder:**

**-Daichi: oldest step-brother, the perverted one**

**-Jiro: second born step-brother, the dumber one**

**-Takeshi: third and last born step-brother, the nice one**

**-Hitomi: only step-mother, the slutty one**

**Just to make sure you won't forget.**


	2. Flirting

**Hmmm, let's see, what should I write in this chapter… Aha! I have it!**

…**I warned you for adult content already, haven't I? I'll warn you again, just to be safe: WARNING! ADULT CONTENT! THINGS VERY YOUNG CHILDREN WON'T UNDERSTAND AND SOME OF YOU FELLOWTEENS WON'T LIKE!!! There, that was the warning.**

Chapter 2

Flirting

Katara was fast asleep in her bed, her face hidden in her soft pillow. Someone opened the door and she moaned as she woke up. A gasp escaped from her mouth when she saw Daichi walking in. He stared at her, just staring. There was no specific emotion she could read in his eyes, his gaze was empty. He closed the door behind him and Katara's eyes grew bigger, as if she knew why he was here. She pulled her sheets up a bit and bit on her lip.

'You're going to beat me up, aren't you?' she asked. Daichi didn't answer her right away, his gaze was still locked on her.

'You know when I won't.' he said quietly. Katara swallowed something down her throat. Here he was again, for the thousandth time since she knew him. She knew what he wanted now, what he desired for. If she would object, he would hit her and simply rape her afterwards. But if she'd just let him do what he wanted to do, he'd be too satisfied to hurt her after that. That meant he wouldn't hurt Sokka or Takeshi either. And that was most important to her, knowing that her two favorite brothers were safe. Because every time she did something Daichi didn't like, he hit her AND Sokka and Takeshi. She didn't want them to suffer for something stupid she did, she was the only one who should suffer for that.

'I won't stop you.' she said, as if it was the most normal thing on earth. The pain did no longer scare her, not the consequences it could have either. She was getting used to it by now, and she thought that if she would keep "practicing" on it, she might could even like it some day. Like it as much as he liked it.

However, she knew it was impossible for her to enjoy it when he entered her, to like it when he "made love" to her. She wouldn't consider it as making love to her, since it wasn't for love. It was for his lusts. Just an ordinary desire to sex, something that could drive men mad. Mad enough to rape their own step-sisters. No matter how much she wanted to run away now, she couldn't. She couldn't let Sokka and Takeshi end up suffering for her fear, that stupid, annoying fear…

She willingly threw the sheets off her and lay on her back, waiting for him to come closer. A nasty smile appeared on Daichi's face and he crawled on top of her. The shiver running through her body in fear didn't annoy him, he actually enjoyed it.

'I like it when you play the game with me, this way I don't have to hurt you. And believe me or not, I don't like hurting you…' he said. Katara doubted on the last part of his sentence. If he didn't like hurting her, then why would he ever kick on raping her that much?

He slid her sleeping dress up to her waist and Katara bit on her lip. Luckily, they heard Hakoda yelling something.

'Breakfast time!' he yelled. Daichi sighed in disappointment and crawled off her again. He pulled Katara's face up by her chin and stared in her deep, blue eyes.

'I'll come back tonight, don't forget…' he whispered. Katara felt no more fear, only pity. Pity for him, because he had to work out his daydreams on his step-sister, instead of finding a girlfriend. She never dared to tell him this, she knew he'd kill her in anger. The best solution to her still seemed what she did most of the times now: just acting willingly and not stopping him, that was better for everyone she loved.

Suddenly, he locked his lips with hers, leaving a warm kiss once he pulled his head back. Katara gasped and stared at him, while he left the room. What was wrong with him today? He raped her very often, sometimes even three times a week, but when Katara wanted to kiss him, he always lost his temper. She thought he'd WANT her to kiss him while he was playing out his daydreams, but the opposite seemed to be true. The only thing he wanted was the satisfaction.

She had noticed him growing kinder the past few weeks, since she no longer stopped him. But still, she knew he was doing something wrong. And she also knew he would HAVE to find a real girlfriend one day. But until then, he'd use her as "girlfriend". She just hoped he'd find someone he could love soon, this double personality of him was driving her insane.

And suddenly, Katara remembered. She remembered Zuko, at the other side of the river. A blush colored her face and she sighed, thinking about the dream she had about him that night. In her dream he was touching her everywhere, really everywhere, doing some things that Daichi did to her as well. But in Zuko's case, she really enjoyed it. Suddenly she felt disappointment in her belly, as if she wished the dream was reality.

She looked out of the window and smiled. There he was again, staring in her direction.

She ran outside immediately and waved at him, unbelievable happy to see him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Zuko looked up. He saw Katara waving at him and a bright smile colored his face, at last she was there. At last the girl that captured his dreams was there.

Last night, she had stayed until the sun was down. He had stared at her body for hours and still it fascinated him. Every inch of her tender skin fascinated him. That she used to travel with the Avatar was no longer a problem to him, he didn't want that kid anymore. His father would never accept him as his son again, he knew that. But maybe that wasn't that bad, an entire life long with his uncle seemed okay. Though he never showed it to his uncle, but he really loved that guy. He needed him around him every minute of the day, as if he was his talisman. Iroh protected him, Iroh had turned out to be his new father. The man that would be with him forever. Iroh couldn't die, Iroh would live forever. That was the one thing Zuko was absolutely sure of: Iroh would live forever.

Once his mind was focused on Katara again, a trembling sigh escaped from his throat. She still looked as beautiful as yesterday: her white, silk sleeping dress seemed to be locked around her waist, and the deep décolleté made it possible for him to see every curve of her tender neck and chest. Her collar-bone was gorgeous, he felt like he just HAD to touch it, just HAD to stroke his hand over it, just HAD to feel the curves of it.

He couldn't help to sink away in thought again. He fantasied about how it would be like to touch her beautiful skin, to hold her tight, to feel her heart beating against his chest. A shiver of desire ran over his back when he imagined how it would be like to kiss her, what her lips and tongue would taste like. He wanted to know it, he just had to know it.

He pressed a kiss on the palm of his hand and blew it in her direction. Katara gasped when she saw him doing that and smiled, while a blush colored her cheeks. She pretended to catch the kiss and slowly brought it to her lips. Zuko released a sigh in desire when her fingertips touched her lips, imagining that his lips were pressed on hers now.

Katara kneed down in the water and looked around. Once she knew she was the only one outside, she stretched her arms and started to bend the water around him. The spurts of water danced around him smoothly, as if it was her own body. The water stroke over his chest and ran up over his back, making him close his eyes in enjoyment. As one of the spurts slid over his face, he tried to kiss the water. But his lips just bored through the spurt and he sighed deeply. He just had to touch her for real.

Katara explored his body with the water and a shiver of joy ran through her body. It felt like she was actually touching him with her own hands, she could feel every detail of his muscled chest. She felt his lips stroking against one of the spurts and broke contact with the water in surprise.

She held her hand on her forehead and bit on her lip. What was she doing? This still was Zuko, banished prince from the firenation, rejected by his own father. And just because he had turned out to be handsomer and a few years older than he used to be, that still didn't change anything. There was no way that Sokka would want her to do things like that with that firebender, not even to Zuko, who had the same problems as they had now.

But when she looked up at Zuko again, her opinion seemed to change. Sokka wouldn't want her to touch Zuko like that, but to TALK to him couldn't be that bad.

With a hand motion she Zuko made clear that he had to follow her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They made it to a smaller part of the river, where the two sides were closer to each other, making it possible for them to see and understand each other better. Katara stopped and turned her head to Zuko.

'Hi!' she said, with a smile on her face. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck and waved at her. It surprised him how close they were to each other now. The river was only five or six meters wide now, he could see her from close by here. Not really knowing what they should talk about, they simply stared at each other, as if they had never seen each other before. It had been two years ago, that was pretty much considering. Zuko was a man now, and Katara had turned out to be a woman.

'Your name's Zuko, isn't it?' Katara asked, just to make sure whether she had mistaken with his name or not. Zuko nodded and squattered down in the water.

'To be honest, I don't think I know what your name is… I'm sure I've heard it before, but I've forgotten it.' He felt horrible by not knowing her name. He had stared at her for hours, without even wondering about her name. But now, he really wanted to know it. He wanted to be able to memorize it forever.

'Katara.' she said, pulling a slight smile over her face. Zuko repeated the name to himself a few times, as if he wanted to hear the sound of it over and over again. He liked the name very much, it matched well with her somehow. Her long, dark hair, exotic, tender skin and fresh, blue eyes reminded him of "Katara" in a strange way.

'Katara…' he said again, quietly, but loud enough for her to hear it. 'I like it.'

A blush colored Katara's cheeks when she heard his words. She sat down in the water, while their gazes were still locked. She stroke her hand over the water and bended it with her, just because she didn't knew what to say or do. Zuko stared at the movements of her hand, fascinated by how she could make the water move with her so smoothly.

'You're a great bender, you know.' he said, still staring at her hand. Katara looked up at him and blushed again, while she stopped bending immediately.

'Please,' Zuko said, 'don't stop. I want to see you bending again.'

Katara bit on her lip. She shouldn't be doing this, bending was forbidden in the village. If the guards would see her when she was bending, they would kill everyone she loved. She couldn't risk that just because Zuko liked the way she controlled her element.

But when she saw Zuko staring at her, waiting for something to happen, she admitted to her heart after all. She bended the water up and made it twirl around her playfully, as if she was a kid, playing with his toy. She made the water spin around Zuko first, before splashing it back in the river where it belonged. Zuko smiled and laughed a bit, clapping in his hands. Katara smiled as well and crossed her arms.

'Now it's your turn.' Zuko looked up and lifted an eyebrow, making Katara frown a bit.

'What? Did you expect me to risk the lives of my family without something in return? I want to see you bending too.'

Zuko bit on his lip. It couldn't be that bad to bend only a bit. He missed his element a lot, this could be a relief to him. So he stood up and took an other position, making sure he had a decent grip on the ground under his feet. He started to hit and kick in the air, making the fire he shot meanwhile disappearing afterwards. Katara stared at the fire flying through the air, while Zuko did his very best to make the flames bigger and better. He wanted to impress her, impress her with his bending. But after a while, he became tired.

He stopped and sat down again, breathing heavily. He should have payed more attention when his uncle taught him the basics of firebending. Firebending came through the breath, not his muscles. And of course, he hadn't listened. Now he had to wear the consequences of it.

Katara smiled and clapped in her hands a bit.

'Spectacular!' she said. Zuko smiled lightly and splashed some water in his face, to cool his body off a bit. His skin seemed to tingle under the heat of the firebending, it felt like he was on fire. Katara noticed him having troubles with the sudden rise of temperature and smiled again. She bended some water up and splashed it over his body. Zuko gasped when he felt the ice cold water streaming down his chest and a cold shiver ran over his back.

He automatically rose his body heat and the water around him became hotter as well. Katara felt the water at her side of the river turning warmer a bit and she closed her eyes in enjoyment. It felt pleasantly warm on her cold body, making a warm shiver run through her entire body.

Zuko saw her eyes being closed and smiled. He wanted to cross the river, so he could surprise her by appearing in front of her, but Katara gasped and hit him back with a wave of water. Zuko was hit against the other side again and frowned.

'Hey! What did you do that for?' he asked, nearly shouting in anger. Katara shushed him and looked around her, releasing a sigh in relief when she saw nobody else.

'You may NEVER cross the river that way! Haven't you heard the story yet?'

Zuko rose an eyebrow and rubbed over his back, hurt by one of the rocks on the side. 'What story?' he asked, a bit curious.

Katara leaned forward and looked in his deep, golden eyes. 'Kasumi…' she whispered.

Before Zuko could ask anything else, Katara stood up and her gaze ran over the water. 'Kasumi is a spirit, a very old spirit. She's the spirit of this river, the spirit guarding the village and the water that keeps us alive. She's honored by every villager here. It's forbidden to disrespect her by swimming through her river, she doesn't want us to do that. This river is like her child, the thing she loves most of all.'

She looked up at Zuko with a deep gaze. 'Never harm a mother's child.'

Zuko averted his eyes and sighed. She was right, a mother cared about her child. A mother would give her life for her child. Just like his mother told him, the day she used the turtleducks as an example. God, sometimes he really missed his mother. She was the only one of his family who had ever loved her, just as Iroh of course. But with his mother things were different, Iroh could never give him the same love and protection as his mother could. Never.

But the story about the spirit seemed a bit overworked in his eyes.

'It's just a river! For god sake, it won't kill me if I just swim to the other side!'

'Yes it will!' Katara yelled in protest. 'She'll kill you! She has done it before, many times! There are enough dead bodies on the bottom of this river to proof it! That's why we honor her that much, because we fear her power and respect the lifes she took away from us. Innocent lives, but yet disobedient.'

Zuko stared at the river, while Katara continued her story.

'I heard she used to be a waterbender. So she kept her talent for bending after her dead, and uses it for her revenge now. Everyone swimming in this river, gets swallowed by the water and drowns. It's suicise if you swim in here. That's why some people still do it, to end their lives. Kasumi isn't a bad spirit, she's a good one, but just a bit frustrated. Never mess with the spirits!'

Zuko nodded and sat down again, staring at her. He bit on his lip and sank away in her beautiful skin again. He saw how she inspected herself on how she looked like, a bit scruffy in her sleeping dress. She blushed when she saw how deep her décolleté was and pulled the cloth up a bit, making it possible for Zuko to see more of the tender skin of her legs. The dress was too short to cover both. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, and when he saw her nipples piercing through her dress again, he swallowed something strange through his throat. God, he just HAD to make it to the other side!

'Isn't there an other way to cross this river?' he asked, a bit frustrated. Katara's gaze ran over the river, while her finger played with her hair a bit.

'Well, I think there is. I saw a bridge somewhere near here, if you continue walking to the east. But I'm not sure, I can be mistaking…'

'No you can't.' he said, smiling upon her. Katara blushed for the third or fourth time that day. She wanted to bend the water again, but noticed someone walking in her direction.

Hakoda.

She gasped and pulled her hands back immediately. Hakoda walked to his daughter and looked down on her.

'Katara, what are you doing here?' He noticed Zuko sitting at the other side, and his gaze turned back to his daughter, a bit suspicious.

'And what's he doing here?' he asked. Katara rubbed the back of her neck and stared at Zuko, searching for help. Zuko stood up and smiled at Hakoda.

'Hello!' he said happily, trying to act the best he could. 'Nice to meet you, sir. My name's Zuko, I'm new here and your delightful daughter told me everything about this place. What an interesting village this is!'

Katara giggled a bit, while a bright smile colored Hakoda's face. 'Yes it is, I enjoy living here. I hope you'll do the same.' His gaze turned out suspicious again and he stared at Zuko. 'But why did you ask my daughter to help you? Why not someone else?'

'Well, sir, let me be honest to you,' Zuko said, 'I thought she looked kind and absolutely stunning. Her pretty face emitted trust and I think I'll might be having a crush on your daughter.'

Katara's face lighted up, while Hakoda frowned a bit. But after that, he simply sighed.

'I'm glad you're so honest about it, Zuko. I prefer that boys just tell me when they like my daughter, instead of having an affair with her without me knowing anything about it. At least you're polite, compared to every other boy in this neighborhood.' he said, smiling lightly.

He looked down on his daughter again and rubbed his hand over her head playfully. 'Breakfast time, hunny. You can talk with your boyfriend again after that.'

Katara protested immediately.

'He's not my -' But before she could end her sentence, she looked up at Zuko again. He winked at her, making a warm shiver run over her back. So she swallowed the last part of her sentence back in.

Her father left, and Katara followed him. She looked back at Zuko one more time and smiled when she saw him staring at her.

That boy was an angel.

**Okay, that took me a while, but it was fun to write!- You bet I'll continue this, I can't stop now! I have like TONS inspiration for the next chapters, from the first chapter to the last chapter! **

**Please review, it's nice when people review. It gives me extra courage to write on!-**


	3. Softness

**I'm having Christmas exams now, so that means updates are almost excluded. I'll have to study a lot… However, I know I won't, so I'll still be updating!-**

**I can't resist writing on on this story, so here's the update!**

Chapter 3

Softness

Katara sat at the table in the kitchen, eating her breakfast with the rest of the family. Hakoda had a bite of his sandwich and turned his head to Katara.

'So… That Zuko you met, how's he like? He seems very kind to me.' Sokka nearly choked in his bread when he heard Hakoda say that. Katara bit on her lip and pulled a smile over her face.

'Oh, he is!' she said. Hitomi frowned and crossed her arms.

'What are you two talking about?' she asked. Katara wanted to snarl "None of your business, slut!" but remained silence after all. Hakoda smiled at his new wife and pointed at Katara.

'Katara has made a new friend in the neighborhood. His name's Zuko, or something like that. Seems like he has a crush on our daughter.' Sokka's mouth fell open in surprise. Zuko, banished prince form the firenation, a crush on Katara? The guy that used to chase them all over the world? No, his father was probably making a mistake. It probably was an other Zuko, not the Zuko they knew.

Katara smiled, but glared at Hitomi. She wasn't THEIR daughter, only Hakoda's daughter. No way that she would EVER see Hitomi as her new mother, that was impossible. Daichi looked up and frowned a bit.

'A crush on Katara?' he asked, a bit suspicious. Hakoda nodded, making Daichi frown even more. Jiro laughed loudly and pointed at Katara.

'That's ridiculous! A crush on Katara, hah! Who on earth would EVER have a crush on Katara?'

'Shut the fuck up!' Daichi snarled. Hakoda glared at Daichi and rose up.

'Mind your language, young man!' he threated. Hitomi rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by the conversation, and pulled Hakoda back down on his chair.

'Can we please discus something else? A boy fancies Katara, so what? That's something Katara has to deal with, we don't.'

'You're right mom!' Daichi said quickly. 'We really should talk about something else!'

Hakoda sighed and turned his head at Katara, giving her a quick wink. Katara smiled and stood up, bringing her plate to the handbasin. She washed the plate and put it back in the covert where it belonged. After that, she went to her room.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She sat on her room, staring out of the window. A sigh escaped from her throat when she noticed no one sitting at the other side. She had hoped to see Zuko, but it seemed like he had gone back inside once she left.

The door opened and Daichi peeked inside. He saw her staring out of the window and glared at her.

'What are you staring at?'

Katara gasped and turned her head. She stood up and stared at him, leaning against the window.

'Shouldn't you knock first?' she asked. Daichi rolled his eyes and came in, closing the door behind him. 'You didn't ask me to do that this morning!'

Katara bit on her lip and pressed her back harder against the curve of the window, making sure she was as far away as possible from him. 'Go away!' she snarled. Daichi frowned and came closer.

'Or else what? Or else your boyfriend will come and knock me down? Give me a break!'

'He's not my boyfriend!' Katara said. Daichi lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

'Yeah right… He has a crush on you, hasn't he?'

'Well, I'm not sure, but…'

'Shut up!' he snarled. 'What about you? Do you fancy him too?'

Katara gave him a suspicious look, opening the window behind her slowly. 'Why are you asking that?'

'Because I want to know, of course!' Daichi shouted. 'Just tell me!'

Katara felt the tension in the room rising. Daichi had a horrible mood today, that meant he'd beat her up if she'd say something he didn't like. She didn't knew what was worse: tell him she liked Zuko, or refuse to answer his question. Hunted by the rising tension, she opened the window behind her and climbed through it, escaping from Daichi.

Daichi leaned out of the window and saw Katara running away. He growled in anger and kicked against the covert in her room, making everything on top of it fall on the floor.

'Fuck you!' he yelled.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Katara ran away as fast as she could. She didn't want Daichi to beat her up again, not again.

Suddenly, she ran up against someone. That someone looked down on her and smiled.

'Surprise!' Zuko said. Katara gasped when she saw him and leaned backward a bit.

'Zuko?' she asked. 'How did you get here?'

Zuko pointed at the river. 'I found the bridge you told me about. And I thought it would be a good idea to visit you.'

Katara smiled. She noticed her hands laying on his chest and pulled them back quickly. It felt strange to touch him, to see him from close by. It had been years since the last time they had touched each other, years since they had seen each other.

He looked down on her and smiled as well. The girl that looked so distanced yesterday, stood right in front of him now. He wanted to touch her, but couldn't just do that. There had to be a proper reason for him to do that. However, he desired for her skin. He wanted to feel the softness of her skin, stroke his hand over it, feel every inch of skin on her entire body.

Yet, he kept his calmness. He bit on his lip and rubbed the back of his neck.

'So we finally meet, for real.' he said. Katara nodded, a bit nervous. He had enough of the desire he felt, he just HAD to touch her. It didn't matter where or how, but he just HAD to touch her! So he brought his hand up to her head and stroke it through her hair kindly. It felt soft and fresh. Katara blushed and enjoyed the warmth of his hand on her head, while he closed his eyes in enjoyment.

'It's even softer than I imagined!' he said. Katara mumbled something like "thanks", but not loud enough for him to hear. After doubting a while, she lay her hand on his shoulder, and squeezed in the muscles softly. God, even his shoulder was muscled! Her hand slid to his chest, exploring the curves of the muscles over there.

Zuko caressed her cheek softly, feeling the softness of her skin. It felt wonderful: as if he was touching a cloud. With his other hand, he stroke over her tender neck, touching the collar-bone a few times.

'You remind me of my old teddy bear, just as soft as he was.' he laughed. Katara laughed with him, enjoying the way he kindly touched her. Both of her hands were stroking over his muscled chest, making her wonder about how he'd look like without a shirt on.

His hand fell down to her waist, and locked around it kindly. Slowly, he pulled her body closer to his. Their gazes were locked, while Zuko slowly leaned forward…

'Hey! Zuuuuuuko!' someone yelled. Zuko looked up and rolled his eyes when he saw his uncle, standing at the other side. He let go of Katara immediately and glared at Iroh.

'What?!' he snarled at him. Iroh simply waved and a bright smile colored his face. 'I just wanted to say hi!'

Zuko sighed deeply, while Katara giggled a bit. She looked up at Zuko and smiled, making him smile back lightly.

'Come!' she said. 'I'll show you where we can be alone.'

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Katara guided him to the forest, close by the village. They made it to an abandoned piece of the forest, where they sat down on a few rocks. Zuko looked around, staring at the crowns of the trees. He saw the sunlight crawling through the roof of leaves, giving the place a mysterious look. He smiled and turned his head to Katara.

'Nice place.' he said. Katara smiled as well and crossed her legs, while she stared around her.

Zuko's eyes were locked on her beautiful body. Her breasts were shaped gorgeously, as if angels had made them with their very own hands. As if they were made for him to stare at, to touch them. Her hips were also stunning, when she guided him to this place, he couldn't help to stare at the smooth movements of her splendid behind. Everything on her body was lovely, his eyes didn't want to miss a single spot of it.

Katara noticed him staring at her and turned her head to him, making him gasp in surprise.

'Sorry.' he said quickly. Silence fell again, and Katara bit on her lip. She felt nervous: Zuko was with her, they were all alone, he kept staring at her and she didn't even knew what to say or do.

Zuko crawled a bit closer to her, while Katara pretended not to have seen that. He laid his hand on hers by accident, and pulled it back quickly. They both stared at his hand, still remaining silence. He coughed to camouflage his mistake, rubbing the back of his neck.

Katara sighed deeply. This wasn't right, she was alone with Zuko, far away from her family. She was supposed to sit as home now, helping her father with something. Glaring at her step-mother, talking with Sokka and Takeshi, running away from Daichi.

She shook her head slowly and averted her eyes. No, that was even worse. Being with Zuko was something she actually liked, something she wanted to do more than anything else for the moment. And Sokka couldn't mind this either. Just being with Zuko didn't mean that serious things had to happen, she could just be with him without even touching him.

Or maybe, she couldn't. His muscled chest was burned in her mind, she couldn't help to imagine what he would look like without his shirt on. Probably strong and extremely handsome. Maybe she would ever have the chance to see his bare chest, maybe she would see it by accident. But that didn't matter: she had to see it. Curiosity was stronger than her mind was.

Zuko stared at her hand, laying on the rock next to him. He bit on his lip, while he kindly laced his fingers with hers. She gasped and looked up at him, while he slid closer a bit. They stared each other in the eyes for a while.

Zuko's gaze turned to her lips. They seemed soft, even softer than the rest of her skin. However, he wasn't sure about that. Nothing could possibly be softer than her skin, not even her lips.

He slowly brought his hand up to her face and stroke his fingertips over her lips. Katara didn't resist, she just kept staring in his eyes. Those eyes… So sad, but yet filled with hope at the same time. It was a golden ocean of memories, a never ending pit with pain and luck, evil and good, sadness and joy.

His fingertips kept caressing her lips kindly, while he closed his eyes in enjoyment. God, they felt so soft! He opened his eyes again and put his other hand on the back of her head, still caressing her lips.

'You're so soft…' he whispered. Katara felt what was coming, and closed her eyes when she saw his face coming closer to hers. He stopped when their noses were nearly touching, just to feel how close they were. To feel her breath tickle on his lips.

Once he had felt enough, he leaned forward and locked his lips with hers. He pressed a tender kiss on her lips, feeling the softness of those on his. It didn't last long though, a few seconds later Zuko stared in her eyes again. Katara smiled, while the desire inside of him rose even more. He kissed her a few more times, short, yet tender kisses. He deepened the last kiss by pulling her face harder against his, tasting the sweet taste of her lips.

When Katara realized what he was doing, she quickly pushed him back and averted her eyes.

'Please don't do that, Zuko…' she said quietly. Zuko didn't listen to her: he kissed her again, while his arm slid around her waist, pulling her closer. He held her tight and deepened the kiss, making Katara moan quietly. Her body was pressed against him, she could feel every inch of his muscled chest. When she realized it was impossible for her to resist him, she threw her arms around his neck and answered his kiss fiercely. As he pressed her harder against him, she had to slide her arms underneath his. Her hands slid over his back, while they slowly ran out of breath.

Zuko pulled his head back and breathed heavily, still tasting that sweet taste. Katara looked up at him and stroke her finger over her lips, a bit confused. He held her tight, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

'I love you…'

**Sigh Zutara, amazing how sweet that can be! That's exactly why the Zutarians must win the war, we already have the Taangs on our side, so we can beat those silly Kataangs easily! **

**Lol, sorry, I just really HATE Kataang… Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. It's a bit short, I know, but hey: I'm working on my exams! And I swear that on the 15th of December, my birthday, I'll update every story I have!- (With a few exceptions of course...)**

**Please review!-**


	4. Find out

**Okay, this is my second try on this chapter, since my first try was a bit too… too… stupid, boring, annoying and incredibly random. I didn't even stick to the storyline!**

**So This one will be better, enjoy!-**

Chapter 4

Desire

The sun was setting, while Zuko and Katara had moved to the bridge. The bridge seemed old, because of the cracks in the edges of it. The rocks - used to build the bridge - were all different: some of them were huge, and other of them were small, used to close the holes between the huge ones.

Zuko lifted Katara up, placing her on the edge of the bridge carefully. She sat down and leaned against his chest, while her legs hung above the water of the river. Zuko stood behind her and locked his arms around her waist, holding her tight. His gaze ran over the tender skin of her arms, while Katara pointed up to the moon.

'The moon's full tonight.' she noticed. Zuko looked up and nodded, resting his head on hers. The moon wasn't important to him, however he'd pretend to, just because he'd do anything for the girl laying in his arms now.

'It's beautiful…' he mumbled, while he looked down on her. Katara looked up and smiled, staring in his amber eyes. He leaned forward to press a kiss on her lips, pulling her closer to him.

A gasp escaped from Katara's mouth when she heard a rustle, somewhere in the bushes. Zuko didn't even notice: he was too busy staring at her. His gaze was locked on her neck, amazed by the color of her skin. It made her entire body seem soft and exotic at the same time, though she used to live on one of the coldest areas on earth.

He kindly laid his hand in her neck and caressed her softly, smiling. Her skin really was lovely.

Katara's gaze kept running over the bushes, not minding the hand in her neck. She released another gasp when she felt Zuko's lips, kissing her neck tenderly. His kisses grew intenser as he held her tighter, making her moan quietly.

'Zuko…' she whispered softly, closing her eyes. He shouldn't be doing this, it felt wrong. It felt like they shouldn't be doing this on this place, at this moment. And most of all: it felt like this wasn't something Zuko would do. He rather seemed someone who enjoyed being alone to her. Was it possible for someone to change THAT much in a few years?

His lips ran over her collarbone, up to her jawline, feeling every curve of her neck and chest. But when another rustle came from the bushes, Katara woke up and tried to push him back.

'Zuko, stop. You shouldn't-' Her sentence had to make place for a third gasp, the moment he nibbled on the curve of her ear. Teasingly, he tugged at her earlobe a bit, while his hands slid over her entire body. He didn't want to miss a single spot of it.

His intense kisses and touches filled with desire made Katara tremble in enjoyment, nearly forcing him to go on. She was too busy enjoying his kisses to notice one of his hands sliding in her décolleté, slowly making it to her breast.

But when she felt his hand cupping her breast, she roughly pushed him back with her elbows. Surprised by her reaction, he held his hands up high, as if being arrested. Katara glared at him and pulled her open collar up a bit, feeling embarrassed.

'I said stop!' she snarled.

He averted his eyes and hung his arms back down. 'I'm sorry, I just thought you'd-'

'Stop is stop.' she said, interrupting him. Zuko shut his mouth almost immediately, lacing his fingers together behind his back.

'I won't do it again, alright?'

Katara sighed and stepped back on the bridge, looking up at him again.

'Sorry, I just thought I heard something, it made me a bit nervous.'

Zuko lifted an eyebrow and came a few steps closer again. 'Nervous? Why on earth would you be nervous now?'

Katara bit on her lip, while her gaze ran over the bushes. She had her reasons, what if Daichi was watching them? Or Hitomi, or even her father? They wouldn't be that pleased to see her with Zuko like that. Daichi never liked it when she was with other boys, with Daichi in her life, staring at a cute boy seemed like a crime. He always found a way to punish her, even when she didn't understand why. He had a strange personality, probably from his mothers side of the family. Katara never understood her either.

'I… I don't want anyone to see us this way, you know. My father would kill me if he'd see you touching and kissing me like that, I hope you understand that.' She wasn't REALLY lying, but not exactly telling the truth either. Though Zuko believed her, so he stepped back again. He looked up at her and pulled a slight smile over his face.

'Shall I walk you home? It's getting pretty late.'

Katara smiled as well, walking to him. She gave him a hug and pressed a kiss on his cheek. 'Thanks.' she said quietly. He laid his hand on her waist and brought her home, not noticing the last rustles in the bushes.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Katara and Zuko stood in front of the door of her house, staring at the door knob. Katara didn't really feel like leaving now, she'd rather stay with Zuko for the rest of the night. She broke the silence with a cough.

'Thanks for walking me home.' she said, smiling a bit. Zuko smiled as well, still feeling a bit embarrassed. He wished he hadn't touched her that way, because if he had done that, he'd probably still be kissing her now. It was his own fault: next time, he wouldn't rush on like that, he'd play the game in a different way.

'Can we see each other again tomorrow?' he asked quietly, not wanting to make her angry again. A smile covered his face when he saw her nodding, lacing her fingers behind her back.

'I'd love to!' she said happily.

For a moment, they didn't knew what to do. But after a while, Zuko leaned forward to reach her face, gently kissing her lips.

The moment their lips locked, the door opened and Hakoda appeared in the door opening. He gasped and pulled Katara to him, breaking the contact between her and Zuko. He glared at the fireprince and held his daughter close.

'And what the hell do you think you're doing, young man?!' he yelled. Zuko bit on his lip, while his gaze ran to Katara, asking for help. Katara poked against her fathers shoulder, making him turn his head to her.

'It's okay, daddy.' she said. 'I just wanted to thank him for walking me home. I was too scared to go home on my own, so I was really pleased when he offered me his company.'

'You wanted to thank him? Then why didn't you just say "Thank you" instead?!' Hakoda said, clearly concerned about his daughter. Katara blushed a bit and laced her fingers behind her back, looking up at her father with a suspicious innocent gaze.

'I'm sorry, daddy… I just wanted to know what it's like to kiss a boy, that's all. I didn't mean to make you angry.'

Hakoda glared at Zuko, releasing a deep sigh. He laughed when he looked back down on Katara, rubbing his hand over her head teasingly.

'I know you're lying, Katara, but I'll pretend to believe what you said.' he laughed. He poked against Zuko's chest and stared in his gaze, squeezing his eyes to small lines.

'But I'll be keeping an eye on you, young man! I don't like it when boys are getting too close to my daughter.'

Zuko bowed for the man politely, winking at Katara.

'I understand, sir. Please forgive me: I was being a horrible pervert by kissing your beautiful daughter. I just couldn't resist her gorgeous lips and lovely eyes, I'll do my very best to stop loving her. However, every day I'll spend without her will be a torment to me, it'll rip my heart out. I love her too much to forget her, so I'm afraid I'll die with a broken heart sooner or later. Can I please have a picture of her? Maybe I'll be able to love the picture as much as I love her.'

Katara's eyes grew bigger and a blush colored her face, feeling flattered by his words. A sad look appeared on Hakoda's face when he heard what Zuko said and he bit on his lip, rubbing the back of his neck.

'Now don't overreact, Zuko. I don't think I'm able to stop two teenagers from being in love, I-'

'Oh, thank you SO much, sir!' Zuko cheered suddenly, interrupting him. He held Hakoda tight, and winked at Katara again. Katara couldn't help to giggle when she saw the strange look on Hakoda's face, making Zuko laugh as well. He let go of the man and bowed for him again, before he squattered down in front of Katara. He took her hand and pressed a tender kiss on it, looking up at her.

'Let's meet again soon, my waterangel.' Another blush appeared on her face. Even though she knew he was faking most of what he said now, it did flatter her.

He headed back for the bridge, waving at Hakoda and his daughter one more time.

Katara released a sigh, while Hakoda looked down on her. He gave her a short nod and smiled.

'He's fine.' he said, rubbing her head again. A bright smile colored Katara's face when she heard him saying that and she jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck. She held him tight, nearly making him fall. He laughed and hugged her as well, still smiling.

That boy was a bit suspicious, but he was alright.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Katara entered her room, as exhausted as she could be. Even though she had the best time of her life today, it tired her. She sat down on her bed, feeling all worn out, and the moment she wanted to pull the sheets over her, someone said something.

'You forgot.'

Katara gasped and looked around, trying to see him.

Daichi sat on a chair next to her bed, playing with his blond ponytail a bit. He looked up at her again, with a deep gaze.

'I told you not to forget it. And yet, you do. Are you even listening to me when I talk to you?'

Katara bit on her lip and pulled her sheets over her a bit, up to her neck. 'Yes, I forgot. Can you please just leave now? I'd love to get some sleep…'

'Oh, I'm sure you do!' he said suddenly. 'You probably were too busy making out with scarface to think about tonight. I told you I'd be back now, and where were you? Off somewhere in the woods, probably having sex with that guy!'

A gasp escaped from her throat, making her glare at him in anger. 'That is NOT true! And don't call him scarface, his name is Zuko!'

'Do I look like I care? Well? Do I? I don't think so!' he yelled at her. Katara stood up and crossed her arms, still glaring at him.

'Besides, why should I come home? I was having a great time with Zuko, so the last thing I'd be thinking about was you! Because you know: I don't exactly LIKE having sex with my step-brother!'

'Are you challenging me?' he asked, deepening his frown. Katara didn't answer him, instead she remained silence, ignoring the question. He roughly pulled her up by her collar and stared in her eyes, pressing his teeth together in anger.

'I'm the one making the rules here! If you start telling me what to do, your two favorite brothers will have to suffer for your deeds! Is that what you want, huh? Do you want me to crush their skulls?'

Katara wanted to react on that, but Daichi was faster than she was.

'Sokka's boomerang and Takeshi's knifes are pretty sharp, and I have to admit that they have the talent to handle those weapons, but remember: I'm an earthbender, and earthbenders can't be killed with weapons.'

'Wanna bet on that?!' Katara snarled at him, maybe a bit loud. Daichi wanted to hit her in the face with his fist, but was stopped by Takeshi, who just opened the door. The youngest brother stared at them and frowned, hanging his arms next to him.

'Daichi, what do you think you're doing?' he asked, threatening. Daichi glared at his brother and squeezed in Katara collar a bit harder.

'Go away, Takeshi, I'm busy punishing her now!' he snarled. His gaze ran to Takeshi's arms, while a light grimace appeared on his face.

'But you can hand me one of your knifes, I'm sure that'll make punishing her a bit easier to me…' Katara gasped, while Takeshi gave his brother a suspicious look. Slowly, his hand slid in his pocket, while his gaze was locked on Daichi.

Suddenly, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and threw it to Daichi. The sharp side of the knife cut in Daichi's cheek a bit, as he quickly pulled his head back. He had to let go of Katara, making her fall on the floor hardly. The knife pinned somewhere in the wall, followed by a terminal silence.

'Thanks for releasing her, Daichi, you're such a nice brother!' Takeshi said, pulling a grimace over his face. Daichi wanted to rush over to Takeshi to hit him, but Hakoda appeared in the door opening. He glared at his step-sons and crossed his arms.

'What's going on here? It's almost midnight, why aren't you two in your own room yet?'

Takeshi wanted to answer on that, but Daichi roughly pressed his hand on his mouth, blocking his voice.

'Nothing, Hakoda.' he said quickly. 'We'll be going to bed now.'

Hakoda gave them a last suspicious look, but left after all. Daichi glared at Takeshi and Katara one last time, before he finally left the room. Katara pulled Takeshi's knife out of the wall and gave it back to him, smiling.

'Thank you very much, Takeshi! You were just in time!'

Takeshi smiled as well and stroke his hand over his head, trying to get some spikes of hair sticking out back on their place, with no success. 'Ah, well, you know… You're welcome.'

Katara saw he was doing his very best to get the hair back where it belonged, so she decided to help him, that was the least she could do. She laughed when she saw the stroking make everything even worse. Her hands ran over over forehead and the top of his skull, caressing the brown hair kindly. Her other hand was fumbling through his scruffy ponytail, which she pulled back once he shook his head.

'I really should brush this sometimes.' he laughed. Katara sighed and sat down on her bed, yawning a bit.

'Thanks again, Takeshi. I wouldn't have been able to stop him on my own.'

'I know.' he said, frowning a bit. She was so vulnerable, everything on her body seemed so fragile. How could Daichi EVER react that way on his own step-sister? Takeshi loved her as if she was his own sister, but Daichi had a different way of showing his "love" to her. He even doubted whether it was love, or just an odd form of insanity.

She stood up again and gave him a hug, before she fell asleep in the soft sheets of her bed. Takeshi quietly closed the door and bit on his lip, still thinking about Daichi.

He just had to know what was wrong with that guy. Daichi couldn't REALLY kick on raping her, there HAD to be an other reason for why he did this to her.

Takeshi knew it for sure now: he had to find out, even if it was just to protect Katara.

**Yes, I KNOW I'm a day late with my birthday update, but I had no choice! I REALLY had the worst mood EVER, since almost every friend I have forgot about my birthday… They thought it was on the 17th of December, but that's NOT true. I hope they'll make up with me somehow… **

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. My personal opinion about it: I think it's not that bad. I like the way the personality of Takeshi and Daichi turned out now. **

**Please review, and I wish great holidays to everyone!: )**


	5. READ THIS

**UPDATE!!**

**Nah. Just kidding. No updates, EVER again, nowhere, not on any story. Surprise! I'm quitting this damn site!**

Because you see, after for about 6 months – if not more – without updates, I'm pretty sure no more will follow. Why? Well, I'll be quite easy on this:

1. This story SUCKS donkey BUTTS!

2. No one will ever enjoy a story this crappy!

3. EVERYBODY does Zutara these days, what happened to all originalities? Crack pairings? Let me tell you that I find pairings such as **Jetko** much more interesting than anything I have shipped before. Aren't gays beautiful? Even if you disagree with me, they are. They really _are_.

4. I've changed. My writing has grown better thanks to this fic, that I won't deny, though I feel that I'm done with this. Storyline bores me and I don't think there is anything left for me to do here on You probably have all forgotten this stinky little writer by now. In fact, I'd be surprised if anyone would even read this!

5. To put it simple: I've found a life. Surprise! Nights out, new hobbies, new friends, even a new boyfriend, so there might not be much time/want left for there is anyone to give me one decent reason not to get rid of this account I'd like to hear it. One voice is enough. I might even consider writing this shit after all.

If anyone might be looking for me, I'm in Belgium, drawing and writing decent stories. For those who wouldn't be able to make it to Belgium, deviantart will do just fine. Xannijn, as always.

**Meh, ah well…**

___**taps random hat on the head and grabs suitcase)**_

**Tah!**

**Xannijn**


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